あ

Hiragana あ
Profile
Character	あ
Transliteration	a
Section	Vowels
Hiragana Man'yōgana	安
Stroke Number	3

あ in hiragana (or ア in katakana) (romanised a) is one of the Japanese kana that each represent one mora. あ is based on the sōsho style of kanji 安, and ア is from the radical of kanji 阿. In the modern Japanese system of alphabetical order, it occupies the first position of the alphabet, before い. Additionally, it is the 36th letter in Iroha, after て, before さ. Its hiragana resembles the kana no combined with a cross.

Pronunciation

(Examples) Word with 'あ'

'あ' at the beginning

• ありがとう (arigatou -> Thank you)
• あたし (atashi -> I (very feminine)
• あし (ashi -> feet; leg)
• あなた (anata -> you; dear)

'あ' in the middle

'あ' at the end

Stroke order

The Hiragana あ is made with three strokes:

1. At the top, a horizontal stroke from left to right.
2. A downward vertical stroke starting above and in the center of the last stroke.
3. At the bottom, a loop like the Hiragana の

Trivia

See also